Those involved in corruption gathering on one platform: Prime Minister
Clampdown on graft will continue’
On March 28, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated an extension of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in New Delhi and used the occasion to launch a scathing attack on opposition parties. In his speech, Modi linked the opposition’s efforts to come together against the BJP with his government’s anti-corruption campaign, and he pledged that the fight against graft would continue, despite what he called “false allegations.”
Modi accused some political parties of launching a “save the corrupt” campaign in protest against the alleged misuse of probe agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The disqualification of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from the Lok Sabha following his conviction in a criminal defamation case has become a rallying point for the opposition. However, Modi declared that “the country will not bend nor will the action against corruption stop due to false allegations.”
The Prime Minister also stated that “anti-India” forces were attacking the country’s constitutional institutions, which he sees as the foundation of a rising India. He claimed that these forces are conspiring to defame institutions such as the judiciary and probe agencies to stop the country’s growth.
Modi highlighted his government’s efforts to combat corruption, citing figures that showed that under the Congress-led UPA rule between 2004 and 2014, assets worth Rs 5,000 crore were seized under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, while the figure has zoomed to Rs 1.10 lakh crore in the nine years of the BJP rule.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the BJP’s growth from having two Lok Sabha seats in 1984 to 303 in 2019, making it the only pan-India party amidst family-run political parties in the country. He claimed that the BJP is the most futuristic party and is working towards making a modern and developed India. He also emphasized the BJP’s expansion in south India, claiming that it is the number one party in Karnataka and the only reliable force in Telangana.
Modi’s speech showcased his government’s achievements in fighting corruption and the BJP’s rise as a pan-India party. However, it also revealed the deep-seated animosity between the ruling party and the opposition, with the Prime Minister accusing them of being “anti-India” and “pro-corruption.”
